DMS Consult Ltd.

🎉 Celebrating 15 incredible years! 🎉 🪄 As we come to the end of this milestone year, we look back with gratitude and appreciation. It’s been a journey full of growth, challenges, and successes, and we’re thrilled to have shared it with all of you. 🌟 This year, we celebrated our 15th anniversary as a firm, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the dedication of our team, the trust of our clients, and the support of our partners. 🌟 Sending off a successful and celebratory year! Here's to new opportunities, continued growth, and a bright future in 2025. 💫 Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year ahead! ✨

🎄✨ As we approach the festive season, we want to take a moment to extend our warmest wishes to all our connections. 🎁💖 🪄 May this Christmas fill your hearts with joy, peace, and love. 🎅🤶 We hope you enjoy precious moments with family and friends 🎶👨👩👧👦, and take the time to reflect on the year gone by. 📅🎀 As we step into the New Year, 🎇🎆 may it bring you new opportunities, success, and the courage to chase your dreams. 💫🚀 Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎉🥂🎊

🌏 Understanding Holidays and Non-Attendance Days in Bulgaria Feeling confused about upcoming non-working days in Bulgaria? 📚 This is a common issue for both businesses and employees. Knowing the difference between official holidays and non-attendance days is crucial to avoid misunderstandings and ensure everyone gets the rest they deserve, while businesses operate efficiently. 📅 Official Holidays: Defined under Art.  154, para. 1 of the Labor Code, these include significant cultural and historical events such as New Year's Day, Labor Day, and Liberation Day. Employees are entitled to enhanced compensation for work on these days, ensuring fair treatment as stipulated in Art. 262 and 264 of the LC. 🚫 Non-Working Days: As per Art. 154, para. 2, these days encompass occasions like Day of the National Enlighteners, which primarily impact educational institutions. Unlike official holidays, non-working days do not universally mandate increased compensation, unless work is deemed extraordinary. 🔍 Unique Provisions: An intriguing aspect of Bulgarian law addresses holidays that fall on weekends. It stipulates that the subsequent weekdays are recognized as non-working days, ensuring employees' rights to rest post-celebration. However, interpretation challenges persist in legal contexts regarding the application of these provisions. What Businesses Need to Know: 📆 Plan Your Schedule: Stay informed about upcoming non-attendance days relevant to your industry. 📢 Communicate Clearly: Inform employees about working arrangements, pay status, and overtime policies. 📜 Review Local Regulations: Understand locally declared non-attendance days specific to your municipality to ensure compliance with regulations. What Employees Need to Know: 📄 Check Your Contract: Review your employment contract to understand how your workplace handles non-attendance days regarding compensation and overtime eligibility. 📰 Stay Informed: Familiarize yourself with the Labor Code and official holiday lists to clarify your rights and responsibilities. 🤝 Open Communication: Approach HR or your manager for clarification on any questions or concerns about non-attendance days. Navigating these distinctions ensures compliance and fairness, fostering a balanced work-life dynamic in Bulgaria. ℹ️ Key Takeaways: ·      Compliance: Employers must adhere to legal requirements concerning holiday compensation and rest periods. ·      Employee Rights: Knowing the differences between official holidays and non-working days helps employees understand their entitlements and ensure fair treatment. Enhancing awareness of these nuances fosters a balanced approach to work-life dynamics and legal compliance in the Bulgarian labor landscape. #BulgarianLaborLaw #LegalInsights #HRCompliance #EmployeeRights #WorkLifeBalance

🍽️ Free Meals and Vouchers for Employees: What You Need to Know! 💼 When working in hazardous conditions, it's common to wonder if you're entitled to free meals or meal supplements. 🎇 But how does it all work? Are there different vouchers based on the duration of your work in such conditions? 📍 Let's break it down! 🔑 Key Points: 📜 Eligibility: According to Article 285 of the Labor Code, employees working in enterprises with specific labor conditions are entitled to free meals and/or supplements. 🖇️ The conditions and procedures are defined by Regulation No. 11 from 2005. 🍲 Types of Benefits: The regulation allows for three options: ✅ Free meals. ✅ Supplements to meals. ✅ Both free meals and supplements. 🤔 Who Decides?: The employer, after consulting with employee representatives and occupational health services, determines who is eligible for these benefits, as well as the type and value of the meals/supplements. ⏳ Duration Matters: Vouchers or free meals are only provided for the days when employees actually work in hazardous conditions. 🎯 Flexible Provision: The employer can offer the benefit in different forms: 1. 🥗 Ready-to-eat meals provided directly at the workplace or through contracted vendors. 2. 💵 Monetary compensation, although this is taxable. 3. 🎟️ Coupons or vouchers for specific food items. 📊 Different Scenarios: The employer may provide free meals based on specific needs or hazardous conditions unique to different groups of workers. 📌 Important Notes: ✴️ If you qualify for free meals based on the working conditions, you might receive either meals, supplements, or both—depending on what the employer deems necessary. ✴️ Free meals are not a one-size-fits-all benefit; it varies based on your work environment and the associated risks. 📖 Understanding these regulations ensures you know your rights and what to expect when working under special or hazardous conditions. 🪄 Stay informed and make sure your employer follows the correct procedures! #WorkplaceSafety #EmployeeBenefits #FreeMeals #HazardousWork #LaborRights

💼 Managing Income from Investment Property: What You Need to Know 🏢 🏡 When you own investment properties and have someone manage them on your behalf, it's important to understand how to handle the income and expenses correctly. 📍 Here’s a simplified guide: 📊 The Situation: Suppose you have a company that owns investment properties. You’ve made a deal with another company to manage these properties—taking care of everything from collecting rents to covering expenses. 📊 If the properties make a profit, this managing company pays a portion of that profit to your company. 🔍 Key Points: 💡 What’s the Income? The money your company receives from the management company isn’t classified as a dividend. Instead, it’s income from the property management arrangement. 🫧 This distinction affects how you report it on your tax return. 📉 Depreciation Expenses: Your company should continue to account for depreciation expenses on the investment properties. 🪧 Depreciation reflects the decrease in the property's value over time and is important for both accounting and tax purposes. 🔄 Tax Reporting: For tax purposes, the depreciation expenses your company records will match those reported in your financial statements. This means you adjust your financial results accordingly for tax deductions. 📅 Reporting Period: Each reporting period, your company should report the income received from the management arrangement. The managing company will do the same with its own income and expenses related to the property. ⚠️ Important Considerations: 💰 Profit Sharing: The payments received from the management company are based on a share of the profit from the properties, not a fixed amount. So, it’s treated as management income, not a dividend. 📑 No Consolidated Reports Needed: Since your company doesn’t own shares in the managing company, you don’t need to consolidate financial statements or deal with dividends. 🛑 Pausing Depreciation: If your company stops receiving income from the management arrangement for more than 12 months, you might need to stop the tax depreciation on the property, according to tax rules. 📝 Summary: Your company should record depreciation expenses and recognize income from the property management arrangement—not as dividends but as regular income. 🔆 The managing company will handle its own income from the property and related expenses. ✳️ This ensures that both parties manage their finances correctly and stay compliant with tax regulations.

Your Rights When Working with Computer Screens 💻 📚 Spending long hours in front of a computer screen is part of modern work life, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your health. 💡 Whether you’re dealing with eye strain or just trying to stay comfortable at your desk, understanding your rights and your employer’s responsibilities can make a big difference. 🔎 Let’s break down what you should expect and how to ensure your work environment is as supportive as possible! 🛠️ Work Schedule and Breaks 📍 When working with computer screens, your employer is required to organize your work schedule to include regular breaks. 🖇️ These breaks are essential for resting your eyes and reducing the strain from extended screen use. 🕑 The specific timing and duration of these breaks are regulated to ensure you have adequate rest. 👁️ Eye Examinations Your employer must arrange regular eye examinations to monitor your vision. 🩺These exams should be conducted by an eye specialist before you start working with screens, every three years if you're under 40, and annually if you're 40 or older. 👓 If corrective lenses are needed for screen work, the cost should be covered by your employer. 📋 Risk Assessment and Health Measures ✴️ According to Regulation No. 7 from 15.08.2005, employers must assess the risks associated with computer work. ⚖️This assessment should cover potential issues like vision problems, musculoskeletal strain, and mental stress. Based on the risk assessment, employers are obligated to take necessary actions to mitigate these risks and provide you with training and information about the equipment and work environment. 🔒 Ensuring a Safe Work Environment ⌛ The goal of these measures is to ensure a safe and healthy work environment, minimizing professional risks and supporting your health and productivity throughout your career. Your employer’s responsibilities are aimed at maintaining your well-being and performance while using computer screens. #WorkplaceHealth #EyeCare #EmployeeRights #WorkplaceSafety #TechWellness #HealthyWorkEnvironment

🛣️ Travel Time as Working Hours: What You Need to Know 🚀 🚗 If your job involves traveling, whether for a one-day business trip or a special assignment in another city, you might wonder: Does the time spent on the road count as working hours? And what kind of allowances can you expect? 🗂️ Let’s break it down! 🔑 Key Points: 📜 Legal Framework: 📍 Under the Labor Code, employers can send employees on business trips if the job requires it. 🚐 When you’re on a business trip, you’re entitled to your usual pay plus travel, daily, and accommodation allowances, as specified by the Council of Ministers. 🕒 Working Hours vs. Travel Time: 🛤️ In general, travel time is not counted as working hours unless your job involves working while traveling, like if you're a driver or part of a train crew. ⌛ This means that if you’re heading out of town for a meeting, conference, or a special task, the hours spent traveling typically won’t be added to your workday. 💼 Traveling for Work: If your job takes you to another location for a task—whether it's attending a meeting, giving a presentation, or performing some other duty -those travel hours usually don’t count as work time. 🕐 However, you’ll get a daily allowance to cover the hassle of being away from your usual workplace and home. 🚗 Regular Travel: If your job involves regular travel (like a delivery driver who hits the road daily), then that travel is considered part of your normal working duties, and no extra travel allowances are typically paid. 📌 Important Details: ⏳ What Counts as ‘Most of the Working Day’? This usually means working more than half of your contracted hours at a different location, not counting travel time. 💼 Business Trip Documentation: All details of your business trip—like the days needed for travel and how long you’ll be away—should be clearly laid out in a written order from your employer. 🚨 In Summary: For most jobs, travel time to a different city for work doesn’t count as part of your working hours unless you’re actively doing your job during the trip. But you’ll still get a daily allowance to cover travel inconveniences. 💡 Always check your work contract and any trip orders from your employer to know exactly what to expect!

🌟 Enhancing Employee Benefits: What You Need to Know About Additional Health Insurance for Family Members 👨👩👦 🔬 In today’s competitive job market, companies are looking for ways to stand out and attract top talent. One way they’re doing this is by offering enhanced benefits packages. 📍 But what happens when a company decides to extend additional health insurance not just to employees, but also to their minor children? Let’s break down what this means for both the company and its employees. 📖 1️⃣ Is Additional Health Insurance for Employees’ Children Considered a Social Benefit? 📋 Understanding Social Benefits ✴️ Under current tax regulations, social expenses provided in kind -such as extra health insurance for employees’ family members -are generally subject to expense tax. 🪄 However, for these expenses to qualify as a social benefit, they need to be accessible to all employees. In this case, since the insurance is only available to employees with minor children, it does not meet the criterion of universal accessibility and is not classified as a social benefit. 💡 Tax Implications 🪶 Expenses related to additional health insurance for family members are treated as taxable income. According to personal income tax laws, any non-monetary benefits provided by the employer are considered part of the employee’s gross income and are subject to taxation. 🔆 This means that while the company covers the insurance costs, it still impacts the employee’s taxable income. 2️⃣ Are Contributions Required for Additional Health Insurance? 🔍 Contribution Requirements 📚 Social security laws outline that contributions are necessary for various social expenses. However, some expenses, such as subsidies for canteens and health facilities, are exempt. 🧑🧑🧒🧒 Additional health insurance for family members, which is not directly used by the employee, does not fall under these exemptions and must be treated as part of the employee’s taxable compensation. 📑 🔄 Final Thoughts 🔖 While offering additional health insurance for employees’ minor children can be a valuable benefit, it’s crucial for both employers and employees to understand its implications. 💡 It’s considered part of the employee’s taxable income and may require careful consideration regarding social security contributions. #EmployeeBenefits #HealthInsurance #TaxRegulations #SocialBenefits #WorkplacePerks #TaxImplications #FamilyCoverage

💡 Health Contributions After Unemployment Benefits Have you been receiving unemployment benefits but haven't found a new job yet? 🗂️ Here’s what you need to know about continuing your health insurance contributions once your benefits run out: 📝 Health Insurance Coverage During Unemployment 🛡️ While receiving unemployment benefits, you are covered by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) at the expense of the state budget. Once these benefits expire, and if you have not yet found new employment, you need to continue making health insurance contributions independently. 🔆 📅 Contribution Requirements ❇️ If you are not covered by the provisions of specific articles from the Health Insurance Act (HIA) and lack other grounds for insurance, you must pay health contributions based on a minimum income, which is half of the minimum insured income for self-employed individuals, as set out in the State Social Security Budget Act. 🫧 This payment is due by the 25th of the following month. 🖇️ If you have had taxable income during the year, you must reconcile your contributions annually based on your tax declaration, and pay any additional amounts owed by the deadline for tax filing. 🗂️ Filing and Payment Responsibilities 📍 You are required to submit a Declaration Form No. 7, indicating your intention to continue insurance under the specified provision and the chosen income level. 📆 This must be done by the 25th of the month following the relevant event. You can also pay your contributions in advance for the chosen period. 📈 Minimum Contribution Details 🔎 For 2024, the minimum insured income for self-employed individuals is set at 933 BGN. 🔆 This means that if you are making your own health contributions (e.g., if you are long-term unemployed without unemployment benefits), you need to pay contributions based on at least 466.50 BGN per month, totaling no less than 37.32 BGN per month, with a contribution rate of 8%. #HealthInsurance #UnemploymentBenefits #SelfEmployed #SocialSecurity #TaxCompliance #HealthCoverage

🕒 Understanding Unemployment Benefits: 💡 Duration and Eligibility Unemployment benefits are a vital safety net for many individuals navigating job transitions. 📆 But how long can you expect to receive these benefits, and what are the key eligibility criteria? 📌 Here’s a breakdown of how unemployment compensation works in Bulgaria. 📅 How Long Can You Receive Unemployment Benefits? 🔆 According to the Social Security Code (SSC), unemployment benefits are paid monthly, starting from the month after they are due. The duration of these benefits depends on your insured work history since January 1, 2001, and is structured as follows: ✔️ Up to 3 years of work: 4 months ✔️ From 3 years and 1 day to 7 years: 6 months ✔️ From 7 years and 1 day to 11 years: 8 months ✔️ From 11 years and 1 day to 15 years: 10 months ✔️ Over 15 years: 12 months 📝 Key Eligibility Criteria To qualify for unemployment benefits under Article 54a of the SSC, you must meet the following conditions: ✔️ Contribution History: You need to have paid or be liable for contributions to the Unemployment Fund for at least 12 months within the last 18 months before your unemployment. ✔️ Registration: You must be registered as unemployed with the Employment Agency. ✔️ No Pension: You must not be receiving a pension for age and length of service in Bulgaria or another country, or any reduced pension under specific articles of the SSC. ✔️ No Other Employment: You must not be engaged in work that requires mandatory insurance under this code or another country’s legislation, except for specific cases. 💼 Employment Contracts and Probation 🔆 📌 Under the Labour Code (LC), employment contracts can be either indefinite or fixed-term. 📚 Probationary periods, which can last up to 6 months, are used to ensure the job fits the employee and employer's expectations. 📑 During this period, either party can terminate the contract without notice. 🧩 After the probation period, the terms of the contract continue as agreed. 🔚 Conclusion Understanding the duration and eligibility for unemployment benefits is crucial for managing your career transitions effectively. Whether you’re just starting to look for a new job or navigating a change in your employment status, knowing these details helps you plan better and utilize available resources. #UnemploymentBenefits #SocialSecurity #CareerTransition #EmploymentRights #Bulgaria #JobSearch #SocialSecurityCode #EmploymentAgency